Geo Stds

Iowa Core Curriculum Geography Stand

Grades 6-8

Essential Concepts and/or Skills

Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people, places, and environments.

• Understand the characteristics and purposes of geographic tools and representations of the earth such as maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, grid systems, aerial and other photographs, GIS, satellite-produced images and databases.
• Understand mental maps of locales, regions and the world.
• Understand geographic relationships such as population density and spatial distribution patterns

Understand how geographic and human characteristics create culture and define regions.

• Understand human and physical characteristics of place.
• Understand the concept of region.
• Understand the physical environment affects life in different regions.
• Understand communities reflect the cultural backgrounds of their inhabitants.
• Understand patterns of cultural diffusion.

Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development society and the movement of populations.

• Understand physical and cultural patterns and their interactions, such as land use, settlement patterns, cultural transmission of customs and ideas, and ecosystem changes.
• Understand world patterns of resource distribution and utilization.
• Understand the role of technology in resource acquisition and use, and its impact on the environment.
• Understand the development and widespread use of alternative energy sources have an impact on societies.
• Understand physical and human geographic factors have influenced major historic events and movements.

Understand how physical processes and human actions modify the environment and how the environment affects humans.

• Understand human systems develop in response to conditions in the physical environment.
• Understand major processes that shape patterns in the physical environment.
• Understand the environmental consequences of both the unintended and intended outcomes of major technological changes in human history.
• Understand technology influences the human capacity to modify the physical environment.
• Understand the environmental consequences of people changing the physical environment.
• Understand ecosystems in terms of their characteristics and ability to withstand stress caused by physical events.